Sunday, April 1, 2012

Two weary refugees, two moons and a life-changing fertility festival. Watch out for a whole lot of sensuality.

Under normal circumstances, Svana, non-military maintenance crew, and Captain Liam Ringel, a highly respected military instructor, would never have crossed paths. A sudden anomaly, however, thrusts them into deep space where they are rescued by the inhabitants of an exotic and isolated waterworld, Urloon.

With no rescue forthcoming, the refugees can choose between adapting to the sea or farming the land. Svana is saddened when her budding friendship with Liam changes due to their different choices. However, when they are invited to an alien fertility festival, the Moonfest, they are given the opportunity to create a memory that will impact and intertwine both their futures.

Captain Christopher Redmond has just one weakness: the alluring spy who loved and left him years before…when he was still just a man. Now he's superhuman—a Man O' War, made as part of the British Navy's weapons program—and his responsibility is to protect the skies of Europe. If only he could forget Louisa Shaw.

A most inconvenient desire

Louisa, a British Naval Intelligence agent, has never left a job undone. But when her assignment is compromised, the one man who can help her complete her mission is also the only man ever to tempt her body and heart. As burning skies loom and passion ignites, Louisa and Christopher must slip behind enemy lines if they are to deliver a devastating strike against their foe . . . and still get out alive.

Riley is one of the best hackers around. She’s always kept her online identity separate from her real life… mostly because she doesn’t have much of a real life. But someone is stalking her through the network. Someone who knows about the big job she just pulled off and won’t stop till he finds out who she is.

Two years ago, CJ was a hacker at the top of his game, until he got caught. Now the prisoner of a ruthless corporation, he is forced to hunt down his former friends and colleagues. He finds himself irresistibly drawn to the woman he knows only by her alias, Samantha, as he traces her from virtual nightclubs to the dark streets of the Manhattan sprawl.

But when Riley and CJ’s relationship crosses over into real life, things get dangerous.

It was a priority-two alert for beautiful Commander Cashel Khaleize: a contract put out on the life of Xiao Zhong. Professionally, Xiao was the Captain she reported to. Personally, he was man she desired. But as female Guild Assassin Mekise Tollenga closes in, Xiao wonders if even Cashel can be trusted with his safety. And with a tenuous bond between them, Cashel wonders how far she’s willing to go to earn that trust.

In the post-apocalyptic Midwest, now a ravaged dust bowl, former guardsman Derek Covington must find help for a sick boy. With nothing but memories of all he lost, Derek crosses the desert alone in search of the doctor who saved his own life ten years ago. Drifter gangs who loot and pillage don't dare come near, for Derek has a formidable weapon: a prosthetic arm with a deadly blade.

For a decade, Dr. Lidia Sullivan has fantasized about the handsome guardsman who'd been in her care. And now she can't deny his dangerous request. But as they make the treacherous journey back to Old St. Louis, they must contend with much more than fierce desert winds and their unthinkable attraction. A fearless gang has spotted Lidia—a rare woman—and will fight Derek to the death to get her. And though he risks his life to save her for the sake of the child who needs her, she fears there's one thing Derek will never risk: his heart.

Kitty’s brand of diplomacy isn’t quite as smooth as Jeff’s -- parties, lobbyists of all stripes, and politicians from all over present challenges a well-stocked iPod and quirky sense of humor aren’t up to handling. But when a shadowy assassination plot and new anti-alien conspirators are identified, Kitty’s the diplomat for the job -- in between ‘Mommy and Me’, ‘Diplomacy for Beginners’, and ‘The Washington Wife’ classes.

Matthew Goddard is a lonely watchmaker in 1840 New England. One fateful day, he discovers the lover of his dreams in a dusty corner of the local general store—Isabel, a bisque porcelain mannequin head with mesmerizing, smoky blue eyes.

When Matthew invites her to come live with him, she eagerly “accepts.” The couple embarks on a lust-filled affair, one fueled by Matthew’s wild imagination. In order to provide Isabel with a brass body and pretty clothes, he begins a secret side business selling clockwork sex toys to his wealthy female customers.

Danger, however, threatens their idyllic romance when a disgruntled customer exposes Matthew’s forbidden business to the townspeople. Despite the growing menace, Matthew will stop at nothing in order to save his soul mate—and protect their love.

In the beginning, there were three. Grayson, Elara and Duvall. Their history was tied together from the moment they met in that warehouse. But time has moved on and Elara has grown up.

Now a qualified medic with the Admiralty, she knows what she wants. It has been Grayson since the beginning.

He has fought the attraction and connection for so long that something must give. But can he allow it?
When Elara is stationed on the Star of Ishtar, she comes with a plan, to further her career, but ultimately to finally get her man.

Fredrica Casales, relieved her participation as an undercover agent for the Imperial Guardians is over, strives to rebuild the trust she's lost with Captain Noah Bonney. But the terrorist plot was only the start of their journey. Now the Daring Star and Lady Victory crews must rescue the scientist who holds the Telomere cure before the very stability of the Galaxy unravels.

If that wasn't enough, Fredrica must work with her former Imperial contact, Jace McCree. As for Jace, he tries to keep a promise he made long ago, but as his sister grows sicker he's conflicted as to what decision he needs to make, and what to reveal.

As they cross the Galaxy, battle rogue Watchers, and fight soul sucking space creatures, both Fredrica and Jace must come to terms with their regrets and decide whether to open their hearts. But fate has its own timeline, and not always at the convenient time.

Ten tales of lesbian adventure take you from the far reaches of the galaxy to the science fiction convention down the road, from a steampunk west to a world where the Confederacy got nukes. Come along and fall in love with a waitress or a pirate or Medusa herself.

***

Squee! Sounds like some serious double-the-heroine SFR fun. I have this anthology on my Kindle and hope to have the stories tagged for you soon.

For ex-Marine Brett Butler, following in her father's military footsteps had been easy. But when she's called to take her mother's place as her father's social secretary on New Commonwealth, she finds her mother’s high heels much harder to fill. Fitting in isn't Brett's strong suit, but if she's to make a new life for herself with her ambassador father among New Commonwealth’s aristocracy, ball gowns and courtly manners will be her highest priority. Especially if she wants to fit in with the dashing Lord Stephen Brandon. That is, until intrigue, danger, and weapons of mass destruction get in the way...

This week, you’ll also have two chances to win a copy of THE WATCHMAKER’S LADY. Currently I’m doing a giveaway at Laurie’s Paranormal Thoughts and Reviews, and tomorrow, April 2, 2012, I’ll be hanging out at TBR (psst…if you read the interview, you’ll learn a little bit about what inspired the story).

SFR Deals

From April 1-14, Samhain Publishing will be offering Anitra Lynn McLeod’s THIEF (Fringe #1) for free on Amazon Kindle, BN.com, Nookbook, and Sony ebook platforms. If you like FIREFLY, then this series might be up your alley.

As of this post, Zoe Archer’s SKIES OF FIRE (Kindle edition) is available at Amazon for pre-order at the low price of $1.99. I wonder if we’ll see more deals like this for science fiction romance? That’s a great incentive (worked for me!).

When Abby and Noah meet, there is an explosive attraction between them that neither can deny...

As a shy, awkward, social misfit, Abby has gone her whole life feeling as though she's different from everyone else and she simply doesn't fit in well with society as a whole. She longs to feel a real connection with someone, and she finally does when she meets Noah.

Unbeknownst to Abby, Noah is from another world and his sole purpose is to hunt down the evil of his people that was unleashed on Earth hundreds of years ago. He's certain he isn't going to be able to return to his home, and anger and the need for revenge are his constant companions. His focus has been eradicating the evil and making them pay for taking his life on his world away from him.

Noah tries desperately to fight his attraction to Abby so he can keep his focus on his mission. But when Abby gets dragged into the evil and mayhem from Noah's world, he realizes that maybe with Abby he can find a home here on Earth...if he can save her in time.

The SFR Brigade recently featured a profile of book blogger Marlene Harris (Reading Reality).

Author Pippa Jay (KEIR, May 2012) is developing a sci-fi romance-themed Midsummer Blog Hop. The hop will take place on June 22 and there will be lots of fun posts and prizes!

Authors blogging

In April, Kaye Manro (FORBIDDEN LOVE) will feature a number of authors who have published sci-fi romance on her blog including Melisse Aires, Emma Lai, Vijaya Schartz, and Pippa Jay (date details here).

(SATURDAY, 2:30-3:30 pm) Fun, innuendo, games, and a chance to save someone's life! You’ll learn about the bone marrow registry, how easy and painless it is to save the life of someone with leukemia, AND you’ll play CHEEKY bingo with prizes, candy and mayhem. This is one hour you won’t want to miss!

Hosts: Sarah Wendell (Smart Bitches, Trashy Books), new author Jane Elissa (who created an Endowment Fund for Leukemia/Lymphoma Research in 1987 and holds annual fundraisers in New York City. The National Bone Marrow Registry will be set up outside the room so that participants can get their inner cheek swabbed and join the registry.)

I donated a prize for the event and I just wanted to say hats off to Sarah and the RT team for their efforts.

Now I turn the mike over to you. Got any SFR news/links to share?

Joyfully yours,

Heather

Share this post:

About Me: Heather travels the sea of stars for news about science fiction romance. She's also an author in the genre. To get in touch, you can email her, or follow her on Twitter or Facebook.

About Me

Heather’s debut sci-fi romance novel, Once Upon a Time in Space, features the last living descendant of Christopher Columbus on a desperate quest to find a new world. Standing in his way is Raquel, the deadliest space pirate in the galaxy.